Avatar The Last Airbender: Book 4: Air
by Crush48
Summary: The war has ended, but conflict on many levels still persist. Zuko faces many challenges as newly erected Fire Lord. Can he mend his family and the nation? Trouble arises where old and new enemies and allies change  the experience for the whole Gaang.
1. Chapter 1: Epoch

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. - Sagan

0o0o

The sky was clear after a few days of the atmosphere brightening again, in more ways than one. The comet that boosted the fire nation's bending might had finally run it's course and left Earth's orbit. The blood red tint of the sky had been replaced with the natural blue of a clear day. Though the transition of the day was smooth enough, it would not be quite so easy for Fire Lord Zuko. Wearing the regal, yet somewhat itchy garbs of the fire lord-Zuko wondered how his father managed to wear these all day- he tapped the edge of his calligraphy brush with annoyance with a hand over his mouth. Different small Earth Kingdom governments were demmanding reperation for the war. Of course, Zuko was willing to help, but it wasn't like he was going to give them the nation's savings. He had a country to run after all. Once he retired to his room, he was taking off the robes. Finally knowing what to write, he would summon for a conference. Hopefully, there would be some sort of agreement there. Aang would probably know what to do in this situation, but he was the firelord. He waouldn't need his help for this.

"I have to show that I don't need the Avata-," "Aang's help," Zuko corrected himself. Zuko sighed tiredly, stubbornly resisting the urge to wipe sleep from his eyes. The summons letter was finished and he would retire for the night. Standing up and with relief, removing the royal robes to sling over his arm, he was dressed in what mirrored the uniform he wore when traveling with the avatar. He trudged from the Fire Lord's study and entered the adjacent bedroom. Mai was away for the time being with her family before she would finally move in with him as the new Fire Lady. Zuko himself felt bittersweet. He was away from her but at the same time, he had time to think and collect himself. It would be a week until she would be there.

"My lord," A guard said at the door, a respectful distance away. Just what Zuko needed. He was ready to sleep. "What is it general?" The guard looked much like the Imperial firebenders of the recently reformed Ozai regime, differring only in that the skull plate was removed along with the horned helmet adornments, making them look much more approachable.

"Liege, the weekly report of princess Azula's condition," the guard said respectfully, procuring a scroll from the folds of his armor. He quickly crossed the distance and bowed quickly before handing Zuko the scroll. Azula was quickly entered into a mental facility after her breakdown. The mental facility was fairly new, only a few years old, and was a short distance away from the outskirts of the outer city in a protected border. It's grounds was built much like a small neighborhood, so as to discourage escape by the patients. Zuko took the scroll from the guard while uttering a short "thanks" in response.

"Dismissed," the fire lord said, almost forgetting protocol. The guard nodded slowly, before retreating back down the hallway. Zuko took a deep breath before unrolling the scroll, feeling the soft, stretched canvas in his hands.

Patient, Azula

Shows no extreme signs of recovery

However, Is eating regularly, though in moderation

No notable observations, except that the doctor has noted she stares at the sentries.

Signs of recovery relatively slow but steady.

Zuko sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, before running his hand down his face. It was nearly the same thing everyday. He wouldn't voice it to even himself yet, but there was something strange about the doctor's observation. It was probably due to his sister's instability. Rolling the scroll back to its original form, he walked the short distance to the desk, placing it next to a small stack of identical scrolls. Zuko looked up and stared at the mirror. The scar on his face used to be a sign of his dishonor, but now it meant something more. He almost couldn't imagine what he looked like without it. Examining his reflection in the mirror, he was looking more and more like his father. His father...

Azula was crazy, but maybe there was hope for her. Ozai was beyond redemption. If only he would tell him where his mother was. He could almost forgive him.

"I'm not going to beat myself up over this," Zuko said to himself. With a wave of his hand, he extinguished the fire burning on a nearby lantern, and leaped onto his bed. He closed his yes and waited for that momentary respite from the outside world.


	2. Chapter 2: Start of Another Adventure

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. - Sagan

A/N: Hey Guys, this is Chapter 2 of the REVISED Avatar The Last Airbender fanfiction. I recieved many enlightening reviews and have improved in my literary skills (Thanks to those IB classes). I hope for many reviews for this revised edition and look forward to new and reccuring reviewers. Thanks and enjoy!

0o0o

Sokka and the gaang had still not quite split up just yet. They were still cooped up in General Iroh's tea shop. Toph would be leaving in a week or two to visit her family in Gaoling, saying that she would "most likely be back". Upstairs in the balcony, Sokka was adding finishing touches to the new blade he had crafted after losing his 'space sword'. Unfortunately, it wasn't as powerful as his lost sword, but it would do until that day he would find both his space sword and boomerang. Letting the sound of the scrape of the sharpening dull his nerves, he hadn't noticed Suki enter the room. She left the door ajar and sat beside him.

"Sokka, be careful, you'll dull the blade."

Sokka stopped with an almost knee-jerk reaction. He sighed and placed both the blade and sharpener to the ground. "Hey, Suki," Sokka started lamely. He scratched the back of his head before deciding to continue. "Didn't see you there." He relaxed and put his hands on the gound behind him into a leaning position. "Everything's just...changing," Sokka said after a short pause. The sun was sneaking its light in through the open window, and everything in their surroundings took on a surrealist, glowing look.

"Aren't you glad the war's over?" Suki inquired half-jokingly. She knew what he meant, but messing with him would probably cool his nerves.

"Huh? Of course! Not that kinda changing!" he defended, sounding like he was rambling. "It's cool that the war is over, just that, it'll be a whole new set of responsibilities coming our way," he said slowly. Suki could understand his position. During the war, they had a way they went about the day, a routine actually. Now that it was over -which wasn't a bad thing-, their lives were going to chage for better or for worse. And maybe it wasn't the responsibilities itself that had Sokka worrying, but just change itself. Everyone was afraid of a little change. Suki rubbed his shoulder comfortingly and began to speak.

"I know, Sokka. Things are changing and the gang might be split more often than not. Don't worry, i'll still be around." Sokka smiled at that.

"I'd like that," Sokka commented before his smile relaxed. "I hope everyone else is going to have a smooth transition,"Sokka added before picking himself up and offering a hand to help Suki up off the floor.

0o0o

It would be just three more days before Mai would be arriving at the Palace. Right now, she was still currently at her parents' home and the rest of her rather surprisingly large family were visiting. Even her Uncle. Zuko chuckled at the last thought. Her Uncle was something else entirely. Zuko would visit their home like he and Mai had planned in three days, and until then he had some free time. He might as well make the most of it and make two important visits. The first would be the easiest. Already in his light traveling clothes, he was once again in his attire reminescent of when he traveled with Aang and the rest of the gang. A red, pronounced v-neck shirt with gold trim, along with red pants with a thin sash and red boots with gold stripes running down the middle. With a final tug on his belt, he strided out of the royal bedroom to the main halls of the palace. He walked to the main door with quick steps and soldiers standing guard along the sides performed quick salutes of acknowledgement. He didn't pay much attention as he finally reached the outside.

"Guard, let the servants and advisors know i'll be unavailable for a few hours," Zuko ordered calmly after tugging on his belt a third time to reassure himself. It was time for a family visit.

0o0o

The _former _fire lord sat quietly in his prison cell, meditating soundlessly. He made sure to eat all of his meals and exercised three times a day. Once after every meal. Though his firebending was taken away, he was going to make sure that his son wouldn't have anything else to hold over his head. He would be the healthiest prisoner that anyone ever saw. And breaking out would be quite simple after he's worked out an impregnable escape plan. His meditating however, was cut short by a rather pleasantly unwelcome surprise. Ozai shifted his position on the disgustingly modest straw mattress that he was roomed with. How he yearned for a bed. It was all a matter of time. He gently stroked his beard a single time before leaning forrward to address his visitor.

"What an unexpected surprise, Zuko. What can I do for you today?" he drawled, every syllable bleeding with calm sarcasm. Zuko resisted the urge to sneer at him. Unexpected surprise. Yeah, right. He had been visiting him on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, Ozai wasn't giving him any information on where his mother was located and it didn't seem like he was inclined to to tell him now or any time soon. In fact, Ozai seemed cheery in his own inscrutable kind of way. Zuko was starting to get dissapointed at how he resembled his father. He decided to try a new tactic today. To surprise him. He needed to get information about his mother, and maybe the only way was to try to get to his emotional side, if he even had one.

"Azula's in a mental hospital," Zuko said gravely. The tactic seemed to have worked, as Ozai had raised an eyebrow questioningly. Zuko raised his eyesight from the ground to look at his father.

"She's in a mental facility. After our Agni Kai for the throne, she had a...psychological breakdown." Zuko purposely neglected to mention his firm belief that it was their father's fault for her condition. Going that route would not get him anywhere. For the first time, Zuko saw a somewhat genuine concerned expression on his father's face. He had a hand on his chin and the elbow resting on his leg.

"A mental facility," Ozai repeated Zuko's last words, as though testing the sound of it. During the small pause, Zuko sat down to a cross legged position across from his father on the other side of the bars. "What does this have to do with me?" Ozai stated delibrately. Zuko's good eye narrowed a fraction.

I will release you and Azula after she gets rehabilitated, if and only if, you give me an up to date, specific location of where she might be," Zuko said slowly, letting his deal sink in. Ozai was regarding him, an inscrutable halk-smirk on his face. "It seems your becoming an at least mediocre politician," Ozai mock approved. The sarcasm wasn't lost on Zuko however, and he took a calming breath.

"So do we have a deal?" the fire lord inquired, mentally crossing his fingers.

"Indeed we do," the former fire lord agreed, knowing full well Zuko's plan would go south in a way he wouldn't expect.


	3. Chapter 3: The Mental Facility

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. - Sagan

A/N: Chapter 3 is here. Zuko is still trying to find his mother and get his sister rehabilitated. But he doesn't know how long he can try to keep it up. Enjoy.

0o0o

Zuko wasted no time trekking to the mental rehabilitation center. It was located on the fire nation mainland and set up much like a gated community to discourage would be escapees. That way, the place had a sense of community to speed up or at least maintain a stable mental and psychological health. Entering through a side door reserved for high ranking officials, including himself, he reached the reception desk. He allowed himself to glance around temporarily before the thin man on the other side respectfully cleared his throat.

"Greetings, Fire Lord Zuko. We have the lift prepared for you. Like normal, please notify the guards if you are in need of assistance," the man iterated before bowing. Zuko nodded his acknowledgement and quickly walked to the lift. As he turned to face the entrance of the lift, he could really notice the interior design of the place. Instead of usual customary white and red walls of usual hospitals, they were of homely greens, blues, yellows and reds, applied to furniture and whatnot. Funny how it reminded him of the colors of the four nations. Letting the thought flee his mind, the elevator lurched to a stop at the 3rd floor. With a small grating sound, the lift's gate doors swung open without preamble. The hallway looked alot like that of a noble's and he almost felt like he was in a high-class house, or even the palace again. Almost. Taking the first left, there was a wooden, steel enforced door that looked very unassuming. To either side were two plain clothes guards, most likely to keep the patients from getting nervous or too excited. Both were sitting down and stood at attention once they noticed him.

"At ease. I'm here for the weekly visit," Zuko said shortly. The guards nodded wordlessly and simultaneously as one pulled out a key from the fold of his sash. Unlocking the door, the guards retreated backwards to allow him space. Upon entering, the door shut quietly. The room was lighted and it was coming from three lamps in the room on the patient's side. They could be turned on or off at the patient's discretion, though Zuko recieved in his reports that Azula hadn't even touched the lights since being instituted. Pulling a chair from the side of the room, he placed it to the side of the bed putting a small space between them. Azula looked different. The nurses had maintained her health as best they could and kept her hygeine up, but Zuko could tell that she was not eating as much as she should. She looked a bit thin and slightly pale. Nothing life threatening, but he knew that she wasn't in the best of health right now. He almost felt a pang of regret when a few weeks back, he would have had her put in a cell on impulse.

"Azula. You awake?" Azula's back was turned to him and she looked like she was sleeping. That was fine with him. A lot of the times he visited, she was either sleeping or unresponsive. He guessed he should take comfort in the fact that she was healthy. He was about to lean on his hands and sit there until his sister suddenly turned around. The movement almost caught Zuko by surprise and he jerked his head upward.

"Azula. You're-"

"What are you doing here?" Zuko's expression took on a light frown in response. Azula was wondering why he was here? He'd been visiting weekly ever since she was instituted into the mental asylum.

"I've been here since you were put here." Azula suddenly frowned upon hearing his explanation. She turned her head from left to right. Was she trying to remember where she was, Zuko thought questioningly.

"Where am I? Where's mother?" Azula asked quickly in succession. As she asked, she quickly retreated from the bed, dashing forward to grab hold of the bars. The quickness of her movement had startled Zuko into leaping out of his chair. This was new. She didn't know where she was? That was impossible, she had been here for nearly a month already!

"Azula, calm down! Y-"

"Where. Am. I!" Azula demanded angrily. Before Zuko could explain, Azula reared her arm back and punched the bar. On instinct and muscle memory, Zuko swayed hard to his side, dodging the cold azure flames that blasted across the bars and barred only by the closed cell door. That was when Zuko came to a realization. For the past few weeks, Azula, in times of her lucidity, had displayed orange firebending in now rare to non existent moments of anger. But blue fire...Either she was cured, which Zuko doubted, or she was basically pissed off enough to have a single goal in her mind. It would be pretty easy to know what that goal was.

Ducking again under a huge blast of flame, Zuko could feel the sweltering heat almost singing his scalp. While making a run for the door, the unattractive thought of him once again being bald entered his mind. Pushing the door open quickly with a thunk, he grabbed the back of both of the guards' collars and encouraged them forward and around the corner from the room.

"M'lord?" was the question from one of the guards before Zuko's reply was cut short by the soud of metal being enveloped at high temperature. With a roar, the door flew acvross the room and crashed through the patio space before crashing to the ground with a thud a few floors down. Zuko quickly jerked back around the corner, ignoring the two guards. Azula was in there...

Suddenly someone burst out of the doorway, nearly bowling Zuko over. With short stumbling steps, Zuko managed to stay upright and made his way back to where the guards were recovering.

"Guards, get to the palace! Tell the Advisory Council, Azula has escaped! I'm going after her!" Zuko ordered whilst running towards the hole in the wall that the wayward princess had created, and using his parkour and free running skills to scale down the wall and chase after her.

One of the guards was helping the other up and the one being assisted adjusted his helmet and experimentally rolled his arm.

"I told ya Chen, we should have just went to the tea break the supervisor offered, but noooo..."


	4. Chapter 4: Dual Journey

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. - Sagan

A/N: Chapter 4 is here. Zuko is having his issues with his sister. Things are about to get complicated.

0o0o

Sprinting to the side and hiding in a wall crevice next to the lift, Azula scanned the floor ahead of her for any guards.

_What was she even doing here?_

The thought kept flashing before her mind's eye continuously since she broke out of the building. The last thing she remembered was...

What in Agni's name did she remember, anyway? She remembered the day of Black Sun and the invasion and after that, just a blank. Her brother was there, sitting across from her. What was he saying.

"Have to get a hold of myself," Azula mumbled to herself for some sort of self-encouragement. Passing shapes caught her eye again, encouraging her to look up from her hands.

"Over here! The fire lord is in the upper floor! Get the rear guard!" Shortly after the disembodied command, dozens of guards swarmed up both the lift and the stairs. Seeing her chance, Azula looked to her sides and then behind her. Down below was the first floor and reception area. As the visible area below her line of sight was without furniture, that meant that the reception desk was directly below her.

No matter. Whatever was going on, she was undoubtedly being hunted down. But then there was the question of the fire lord. Why was her father here and the guards after her? Filing the questions away for something to be answered later on, she vaulted over the railing to the floor below.

0o0o

The young fire lord slid down the wall to the below floors, using one of his arms as a brace to slow his descent. Upon landing to the floor with minimal discomfort, he ran forward past the lift and vaulted over the desk. With the commotion with the guards running about and back up security attempting to hold the rest of the patients, the staff had already evacuated to safe zones. Snapping his head in random directions, he attempted to spot Azula anywhere in the area with only futile results. Moments before he was going to check outside, the subject in question descended suddenly from the floor directly above. With the plain clothes she was wearing, much like a sashed pants and shirt uniform, Zuko was nearly caught off guard by the blur of clothing.

Entering instinctually into a fighting stance, Zuko yelled her name.

Azula was already motioning to run out the door before she jerked to a stop.

"Azula, just calm down," her brother requested without budging. Azula spun around quickly, raising her hands up in a defensive stance.

"Where is...What is this place?" she asked slowly. Zuko breathed once before slowly relaxing out of his stance. Should he tell her what this place was? She looked out of sorts. She was continuously glancing in every direction in subconscious paranoia every half second and she looked uncertain. Zuko thought quickly. Lying would probably only compound the already disastrous situation.

"It's a mental hospital" Zuko stated objectively, hoping not to get her nervous. He slowly began to advance toward her, his arms held out neutrally.

_Mental Hospital._

Images flashed before Azula's already confused mind. Chains, fire...trapped in ice? There was another girl. Dark skin, blue eyes.

"Who is the waterbender?" Azula asked, attempting to get clarification from the fragmented memories housed in the recesses of her mind. To Azula, Zuko seemed to have flinched at her mention of the waterbender. But why, she did not know.

"Azula, if you come with me, I can explain," her brother offered, gesturing a hand toward her, hoping she'd take it. She looked around the room slowly. There were many doors. She could faintly hear the cry of soldiers as they were probably looking for her at this very moment. The soldiers' footfalls could be heard reverberating, slowly growing in volume.

"You put me here, didn't you?" Azula demanded, suddenly growing more angry. Zuko's expression was that of sadness. He did not know how to respond to the question. Anything he said would just make him sound evil. Azula resolved not to waste any more time. She turned sharply and ran out of the door.

Zuko didn't bother to chase her immediately.

_You put me here, didn't you?_

Zuko felt like such a jerk. In the end, was he still only hurting his sister? In a momentary burst of rage, Zuko punched toward the floor, a concussive force of flame blasting to scorch the ground that his fist was pointed. The soldiers had finally arrived and were waiting at a respective distcance behind him. A couple of soldiers ran forward to give chase to the wayward princess and one had the thought to ask if he was alright.

Zuko nodded after glaring a hole through the floor to show that he appreciated the gesture.

"Tell the civil advisor to order the patrolling of all transportation. She might try to leave the nation's borders," the fire lord ordered, blinking away the sudden urge to weep. He had failed his sister before. He wasn't going to do it again. The doctor had said that too much negative stress may damage her ability to access memory in certain ways. Was Azula not remembering who Katara was an example, or a prelude to something worse? Dwelling on it now would only delay him from getting to Azula quicker.

Looks like he would need the gang's help after all.


	5. Chapter 5: Rising Action

The earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that in glory and in triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. - Sagan

A/N: Chapter 5 is here. This chapter will focus a bit more on Azula. Legend of Korra's third episode released this past Saturday. Aang better show up as a spirit guide at some point. You cant have avatar without the gaang, one way or another, heh.

0o0o

With the back of her heavily shaking hand, she wiped off the sheen beginning to develop on her forehead. Glancing backward, the Asylum was now just an unrecognizable facility now, blending in with other structures surrounding it. Returning her gaze forward, the port was visible down the hill. Being a market area, there were naturally many passer-by going about their many directions. Fortunately, the clothing style of the asylum was of simple cotton shirts along with pants with a sash. Since the facility's clothing looked actually normal to her opinion, she figured she wouldn't immediately need a change of clothing. Finding Mai and Ty Lee was her initial thought. But there was still that blank after Black Sun. Where were they? Maybe the palace was her best bet. She would have to be in and out quickly and quietly.

**Middle Ring**

The wind was not too heavy while the young airbender avatar strolled through the _Jasmine Dragon's_ yard of the middle ring. After the climactic battle with former fire lord Ozai, the fame of being the avatar was still high, but everyone found themselves more relaxed and laid back. It felt bittersweet. Not being hounded by fans and villains alike, but at the same time, who _doesn't _like some limelight? Momo rested atop his head, looking just like his disguise when he and the gaang first infiltrated Omashu -minus the mustache- which seemed like a long time ago.

"Avatar Aang! Avatar!" a messenger breathed with just slight difficulty. Aang blinked and turned towards the direction of the voice. The young man was resting both hands on his knees, so his face was hidden for the short moment. After regaining his bearings, he quickly procured a scroll from his earth green gi. Aang respectfully took the scroll and opened it immediately. Almost unconsciously, Aang's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Thanks for the message...How did this get here so fast?" Aang asked curiously. This letter from Zuko was signed today!

"It was sent through a chain of messengers. I heard from correspondence that the message is of extreme import," the messenger suggested helpfully. Without preamble, he bowed quickly and made his run back to...wherever messengers go, Aang iterated in his mind.

Iroh was at the counter laughing at something Toph said when Aang rushed inside.

"Guys, you're not going to believe this!" Iroh seemed most fitting to rlay the information to first.

"Hm?" Iroh sounded in natural curiosity. He shortly spread his beard and examined the letter. "Hmm," Iroh sounded again, but more in realization. "I figured she would probably escape at some point."

"What's up?" Toph petitioned. She was curious to know what they just read. Aang and Iroh had suddenly grown a bit excitable. Iroh was stroking his beard while Aang reread the scroll.

"Azula's escaped," she heard Aang say. "Apparently, she disappeared from the mental rehab center and is somewhere in the fire nation.

"Well this gives me a chance to deliver some payback. I never really got to fight her anyway!" Toph declared with a symbolic punch to the palm. Though excited, Toph couldn't help but scratch her head. "What's her escape got to do with us though? Isn't fire nation escapees like, Zuko's territory?"

"While that may be true, this _is _Azula we are talking about," Iroh chipped in, which earned an affirmative from Toph. She leaned both elbows on the booth behind her. "You got a point there."

"I'll be right back, I need to break the news to everyone else!" Aang said quickly, while running up the stairs. The trip was short, since the stairs weren't too steep. Knocking on the door, Aang waited for a response before calling Sokka's name.

The door opened after only a few seconds, and Sokka waved him inside. The room was neither too small or too big and had a conservative atmosphere. To the side overlooking the roads within the city were two adjacent windows, one of them open, allowing a slight breeze to keep the room just a bit chilled.

"So, what's the rush about?" Sokka inquired encouragingly, sitting back down beside Suki.

"You guys aren't going to believe this," Aang started semi-dramatically.

**The next day**

Zuko paced the confines of the throne room with his arms crossed behind him. Fortunately, there was no advisory council meeting for the next few days, so his adjutants wouldn't need to see him acting out of sorts with his constant nervous movement. The line of fire lights were not on, giving the room a slight unusual, but comfortable chill. Azula escaped from the facility.

Zuko thought that observation over.

Was it really escape, or something different? Was he going about this the wrong way? Zuko exhaled forcefully. What the heck was he supposed to do next. How is it that less than eight months ago, Azula was chasing _him _around the world and now, he was chasing _her_.

"Hopefully Aang and everyone else gets here soon enough," Zuko mumbled, continuing to pace. The spirit world knew he needed it. Mai was due back any moment now and he didn't want to get into a heated argument with her shortly after she gets here.

Why couldn't things be simpler?


End file.
